Another DraftKings Showdown slate is upon us with the 49ers and Rams facing off on Thursday Night Football. This projects to be a decent real life game, but for NFL DFS purposes, it could be ugly.
There are a lot of problems here. First, both teams are quite capable on defense. Secondly, they are divisional foes who know each other quite well. TNF tilts often turn into epic kicker duels, and it’s important to keep in mind that may be what a good chunk of the field thinks, too.
But we don’t want to (fully) think like the field. Let’s run with that notion as I look at the top TNF DFS picks for the Captain spot, some sneakier GPP options, and my overall strategy for Thursday night.
Best TNF Captain Picks
- Christian McCaffrey
- Puka Nacua
- Davante Adams
- Kyren Williams
- Matthew Stafford
- Kendrick Bourne
- Mac Jones
It’s a short week, so we need to montior some injuries here. Purdy has been banged up, Adams has been banged up, and the 49ers have two starting wide receivers in doubt (Jennings/Pearsall). That’s with Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle already not playing, too.
As far as safe plays with a good projection, solid floor, and a ceiling the list above is the starting point. Puka and C-Mac are undeniably in a league of their own. I do think it’s worth noting that neither matchup is particularly great (Rams are #1 vs RBs, 49ers are #5 vs WRs), but I don’t really care.
The bad matchups and short week are enough to get me interested in other Captains, but I’d still have a shit ton of exposure to Puka and McCaffrey. Fading either of them feels bad.
Davante is immediately appealing as Puka leverage. If Nacua struggles, it’s pretty likely that Adams benefits immensely, and/or we’re looking at a Kyren Williams game. When I want Rams but desire to get different, those are the two guys I am looking to first.
I’m not that into Stafford as a Captain. I think he’s a fine Flex/stack option if you captain Puka or Adams, but history shows those guys can get there with Stafford failing to (last week not included). A pretty good example is Puka getting 20+ in every game this year, but last week was the first time in 2025 that Stafford cleared even 18 fantasy points.
The 49ers are still pretty good against the run for the season, but they got eaten up by Travis Etienne last week.
A short week could always come calling for Kyren’s usage, but that’s a risk I wouldn’t mind taking.
If I did captain a QB, it’d be Purdy. He offers underrated rushing ability and if the Rams do stifle McCaffrey, he’d surely have to ball out for San Fran to enjoy any success.
Update: Purdy, Jennings, and Pearsall are all out. That’s going to put Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne (among others) in play. They don’t feel like fun Captains, but they’re among the “safer” plays.
GPP TNF Captain Plays
- MVS
- Terrance Ferguson
- Jake Tonges
- Kendrick Bourne
- Demarcus Robinson
- Skyy Moore
Ugly, I know. Ideally we just use this lot (and the kickers/defenses) as Flex options. However, it’s a rivalry game, both defenses are solid, and it’s a short week. There is definitely a world that exists where one of these assholes goes ham.
My money would be on one of Jennings/Pearsall erupting, but they’re both banged up. Of the two, Pearsall seems less likely to play.
If that’s true and Jauan is in, he is a smash captain pick – especially if Puka/McCaffrey command the majority of the CPT ownership.
If one or both of those 49ers WRs sit, we’re talking about some big time scrubs actually looking awfully good as punts. We can try Tonges anyways, as Kittle remains deceased and he just went off last week.
But even Tonges is banged up, so we need to monitor his status like we’re dissecting a poison frog. And that gives way to the horror show that is me considering something called a Brayden Willis. God help us.
Skyy Moore is presently not an option, but if Pearsall and Jennings both sit, he suddenly would be. And guys like Bourne and Robinson (both definitely > Moore) would also come into play.
Update: Tyler Higbee is doubtful, which could thrust rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson into a big role. It’s a decent matchup, too, as the 49ers are bottom 5 vs. tight ends. I also am going to want to get to lower owned 49ers receivers. Injuries are going to make the likes of MVS, Robinson, and Moore more viable than we ever dreamt possible.
My TNF DFS Strategy
If I am doing a cash entry (why?) or a single entry, I am probably exclusively captaining Puka and McCaffrey with a lean toward Puka due to the PPR upside. But both matchups stinks and for all the other reasons to be hesitant, I like the idea of just locking them both into almost every TNF DFS lineup.
You’ll need some type of a punt to do that, but we’ll need to wait to see what is available to us to allow for that to happen. But I am leaning towards a 49ers value bringing me home. You can opt for a different path, but we want takedown upside and we want to avoid duplicate lineups.
I don’t think you typically need to get so wild with your captain, but this may be a special circumstance. Still, Puka and McCaffrey remain the best possible plays, with Kyren, Bourne, and Davante being the top pivots that can create leverage without an insane (and risky) punt.
That said, a punt is precisely where I’m currently headed on this slate given the state of the Niners.
Playing DFS since the days of DraftStreet, Kevin knows the ins and outs of DFS, specifically for NFL and NBA. He’s also been helping people win in fantasy football leagues for 15+ years and is one of many experts featured at FantasyPros.
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